Paper towels are one of the modern world's more ubiquitous cleaning conveniences. They have a myriad of uses from mopping up spills to drying wet hands. Paper towels are available in a multitude of presentations, but perhaps the most commonly found in a residential setting is the paper towel roll. Such rolls are often found free-standing beside sinks, work-benches, grills, picnic tables, outdoor furniture, and shop areas. Although it is quite handy to have a roll of paper towels readily at hand in such locations, if a roll is knocked over, blown down, or otherwise accidentally displaced, the entire roll can become soiled and/or wasted.
In order to address this problem, the prior art is rife with various types of paper towel holders. Most such holders come in two flavors: weighted, free-standing models and permanently affixed devices. The latter are often found in the form of paper towel rods or holders that are permanently affixed near sinks, work benches, and other indoor locations; while the former, free-standing models, are moved about as needed. The permanently affixed devices are limiting in that they can not be easily removed when not in use and they can be an encumbrance to the unencumbered use of the surrounding area. The weighted, free-standing models, although usually better than no holder at all, can still be knocked/blown over resulting in the waste of much, if not all, of the roll. Furthermore, such models often require the use of two hands to cleanly remove a single paper towel without unraveling a number of towels from the roll. Additionally, the free-standing models require the use of limited counter- or table-space.
What is needed is a removable, yet solidly affixable, paper towel holder that can be easily transported between work areas, assists users in providing single paper towels as needed, and utilizes a pop-up retainer to retain paper towels on the roll when a person is not intentionally dispensing them.